Pilot-light mode seemed to have been a short-term solution a few weeks ago; however, we have received a few emails from the community and understand the noise is now being heard in the evenings in pilot-light mode. Based on the data from the noise monitoring, the only thing we can attribute this to is the change in weather since all other factors have remained the same. Again, we apologize. We are working as quickly as possible toward a more permanent solution for the community and our company and wanted to provide an update on where we are in the process.
We were looking at installing a second fan to run with the existing fan, both at lower RPMs. We have now been advised that will not solve the issue. We are working on three additional options:
1. The muffler did not meet the performance specifications provided to us. We have been in contact with the manufacturer of the muffler to request they fix the problem or replace the muffler.
2. We are in discussions with a manufacturer to have an alternate fan designed and installed. The existing fan is an Industrial Radial Blade Fan that incorporates a wheel with (8) heavy-gauge blades. The new fan would be a Backward Curve bladed fan, which produces much lower sound levels. This larger fan moves more slowly and has (20) blades.
3. A new fan would most likely result in the need for a larger smokestack. Currently, the stack is 21” in diameter. We would look at increasing it to 36”.
We are working with a team of manufacturers, engineers, sound experts, and other consultants. Unfortunately, these solutions all take time. In the meantime, we will continue to operate the boiler in pilot-light mode beginning at 5 pm each evening. This is the best we can do at this time, as running it in pilot-light mode keeps the decibels (dBA) within the county’s compliance levels, and it drops the frequency of the sound from 315Hz to around 200Hz, while maintaining the health of the boiler.
We thank everyone for emailing us with their noise reports and locations. We’re working as quickly as we can to find a solution and will continue to post updates to this site to keep everyone informed on the progress.
